University of Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin confirmed that he will remain in his current position and is no longer a candidate to fill the offensive coordinator position with the San Francisco 49ers.

St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher squelched talk he might be in line to be the next coach at Southern California, where he played in college. After practice Wednesday, Sept. 11, Fisher called the speculation "absurd." He joked when first asked about USC whether that meant South Carolina. Fisher is in the second year of a five-year contract with the Rams, who won the season opener for the first time since 2006. However, USC coach Lane Kiffin may be in jeopardy soon, especially after his team's 10-7 loss to Washington State.

Southern California head coach Lane Kiffin said QB Matt Barkley will be a successful NFL quarterback, even though his stock in the NFL Draft has dropped. Kiffin blames the team's porous defense for hurting Barkley's stock. "I think he's going to be a great starting quarterback in the NFL, and the film shows it," Kiffin said. "The plays he makes, all the throws he's made here, the leadership qualities ... I've said this before: If Matt Barkley had the defense that Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer had, Matt Barkley would have won the Heisman Trophy just like they did. He would have had the winning records they had."

Bill Williamson, of ESPN.com, reports the NFL confirmed that the grievance former Oakland Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin filed against the team is in the hands of arbitrator Harold Henderson. Henderson will need to decide if Raiders owners Al Davis owes Kiffin his remaining salary. Davis maintains Kiffin was fired for "cause" and he shouldn't have to honor the remaining portion of his contract. A decision is not expected on the grievance for another six weeks or so, according to one league source familiar with the case.

Jim Thomas, of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, reports St. Louis Rams WR Ronald Curry was critical of one of his former teams, the Oakland Raiders, particularly how he was treated by former head coach Lane Kiffin. "I come back to camp (in 2008) and I'm fourth on the depth chart after leading the team in receptions the last couple years," Curry said. "So that kind of blew me (away). Just being kind of jerked in and out, in and out. It kind of bothered me mentally. I felt like I had put myself in a position to where I shouldn't have been treated like that. I usually pride myself on overcoming those situations, but for some reason I just couldn't get myself together. And here I am."